X-200 is for Space Ranger

We have looked at this machine before, but I've ferreted away a few shots of a silver one with the hanging stud (courtesy of Steve Vickers), and shot a bi-coloured one on Adrian's table some time ago, so we might as well have another look at the X-200 Space Ranger from Pyro originally, mould lent to Tudor Rose and probably also issued by Kleeman/Kleeware at some point.

Where the X-100 Space Scout was a simple, slightly flimsy 'dime store' one-piece moulding with clip-in wheels, the next one up - as it were - is a far more substantial piece, made of two heavier mouldings, glued together, with carpet wheels half-hidden in chunky, fluted fairings, either side of the fuselage and in the tail.

The rod sticking-up from the silver version above is for the attachment of a spring-clip or plastic tube, which - in some larger boxed play-sets - allowed it (with a liberal dose of imagination) to fly! Basically it went round and round a central pole or handle.

The underside and more views; I don't know if there is any significance (price-wise) between single-colour mouldings or bi-coloured one's, or if it was an entirely random thing? If you're old enough to remember boxes or glass-shelf displays of them in retailers; may I ask - can you remember if they were sold alongside each-other or at separate times/in separate price brackets?

Pictured before an auction lot was 'divvied-up' a decade ago; I think it ended-up in my collection, but it may not have! The marking 'discs' were interchangeable tool-inserts and can read any one of . . .

Pyro (the Pyro in a pennant cartouch)

USA

Made in USA
Made in Pyro USA (the Pyro in a pennant cartouch)

Pyro USA

Kleeware

Kleeware England

Made in Kleeware England

Tudor Rose
Tudor * Rose
Tudor * Rose Made In England (separate marking along bodies)

Made in England

. . . the last being the one seen here on a tail fin, there are sometimes two of the discs (larger than release-pin marks) on the models, particularly the bigger ships (but this only has the one) and they can also be blanked-off, as it is on the silver one.

The model got a new lease of life with an almost identical clone in Bill Hanlon's Binary Arts Corp./Dimestore Dreams range back in the 2000's ('Rhayyy!) but also the indignity of a marque-downgrade to X-100; the old number of the simple Space Scout (Boooo!), it also got a simpler (yet more accurate?) 'Spaceship' re-moniker.

It didn't get its christenings moulded on its nose which gives it cleaner lines and while it is a very good reproduction of the original, there are a couple of differences, for instance; its having slightly heavier widow frames, there are also slightly less-pronounced 'cuffs' circling the tips of the rocket-engines and the ship's nose, giving it a more streamlined look.

More on the Dimestore Dreams range here.

A yellow/blue bi-colour here.

Pure 'pulp' and one of my favourite toys, as while technically I'm too young to be in the generation who had these as 'every-day' toys, there were plenty of old Kleeware or Tudor Rose ones kicking-around when I was a kid, either as hand-me-downs or as corner-shop/beach-toy kiosk old-stock!

Because it's here! Some of you may have spotted this in the surprise parcel from Chris Smith the other day, well; it's very timely! Another of the Dimstore Dreams range, these were more of a homage - I think - than an actual 1950's model, but I stand to be corrected?

There were about 7 military vehicles/versions I think, including telecom's, pick-up truck and wrecker versions of this vehicle and a rather nice 'throwback' motorcycle, I have the military ones in storage from the press-release stuff reviewed in One Inch Warrior magazine (back in 2000/1?) so we will return to them here at some point!

And speaking of 'Dime Store' - Rodney's Dimestore has added tones of info/data since I last visited it and is well worth a hour or two's surfing if you're at a fag-end in this heat!